Pure Morning
by kaniele
Summary: Sam gets a second chance. Sequel to my fic Taking Chances...pure fluff for all those who sent me death threats after the previous ending :) Enjoy!


Title: Pure Morning

Author: Ellie

E-Mail: 

Sequel: Taking Chances

Summary: The aftermath of Rosha's appearance in Taking Chances.

Rating: PG15

Author's notes: Okay I wanted to leave the ending the way it is, but then the e-mails kept coming two years after I finished so I relented. I hope you enjoy…the torture

Feedback: As always appreciated.

Flashbacks are denoted by

Sam watched as the rain beat against her window and sighed. The past couple of weeks had been torture. Her heart though beating felt heavy and dead, her body lifeless. Her eyes were bloodshot but she couldn't bring herself to sleep and see a curtain of blonde silk wash over her and feel herself drown in deep blue pools. It had been two weeks since she had stumbled through the event horizon and hit the real world with a thump that still ached. There had been questions about her early return but she fielded them with an impressive unknown ability to lie. The penetrating eyes of Jack, Daniel and Teal'c saw right through her. She couldn't hide her pain from them nor did she want to. They wouldn't ask, they knew better.

The sun broke the night and dawn rose and spilled light onto the trees, houses and rivers. Today her father was visiting. He sent a message that he was going to spend some time on earth. "Down time" he called it. It was just an excuse to check up on her, to answer any questions that she had and to soften hard blows, as any good father should. She ran a hand through her hair and shuddered at the grease. She needed to shower. She was to report on base in less than three hours. She dropped her hand to her side and continued to gaze out the window. They could wait.

Sam felt like she couldn't breathe. Her heart hammered against her chest at an alarming rate. She had to raise a hand to her breast, so fearful was she that it would jump out. The nausea hit next. No no no, this was not happening. She's dead, she's dead, and she's standing in front of me. Rosha, Rosha's alive and standing right in front of me. Martouf is just standing there, My father is squeezing my hand but I can hardly feel it. I try to find the ability to speak but I lost it the second I saw her. Rosha, I keep repeating it in my head. I plead with my brain to tell me the picture my eyes have formed is unreal. It's a trick of light, something short-circuited, anything I plead anything. I stand and ask myself why am I so desperate to deny Rosha a second chance. Is my love so strong for Martouf? Have I unleashed a tidal wave of passion and emotion and drowned in it so helplessly and deliriously that I don't want to reject it? My father is grips my hand so tight I yelp. The entire room turns towards me. Please let me die I ask as Martouf looks at me. I'm a stranger. I don't think he remembers my name.

Jack hadn't felt like this since the day he thought there was no way back from….

He was worried; there was no reason to hide it. He had reason to be. Sam had taken leave for Christ's sake! Sam, she who loves to work was playing hooky. Medical leave was down on her record but he knew better. It was something to do with the snakehead Martouf. Details were sketchy but word had come through that Rosha, the previous host of Jolinar had been found alive. He could understand; Sam must have been freaked to come face to face with a woman she knew everything about. Sure it was just like looking at your soul in a mirror, you know without the mirror. Hopefully that and the fact that the mission was tough and she was exhausted were all that was wrong. Maybe he could scam a few more details when Jacob arrived. Until then, cake.

Sam stood still under the gushing water. She let the steaming flow knead her aches. She just wished it could beat away the pain in her chest. Washing the shampoo from her blonde locks she shut off the power and stepped onto her bathroom floor. Shivering she grabbed a towel from the warmer and wrapped in around her figure. She had lost weight, forgetting to eat. She walked to the mirror above her sink and wiped away the condensation. Her image startled her. Her usually sparkling blue eyes had faded to a stony grey, her skin taut and raw, lips swollen from crying. Anyone would think she wasn't a major in the USAF. A tear escaped and ran down her sunken cheek. Then another and another, she sank to her knees and wept.

The event horizon splashed through the stargate and settled into a rippling pool.

"Receiving Tok'Ra ID Sir."

"Open the Iris" George Hammond watched as the titanium shield swiveled open and his friend stepped through. He raised a hand in greeting and followed Jack, Daniel and Teal'c to the embarkation room.

"Jacob" He couldn't help but smile as he seized the other man's hand in a firm shake.

"Hey George" Jacob smiled. "Jack, Daniel, Teal'c" He greeted. "It's good to be home."

"Good to see ya Jacob" Jack leant forward and shook his hand. As he did so, Jacob's head bowed and his eyes momentarily flashed. Jack shirked involuntarily.

"It's good to see you too Colonel" Selmak replied in the tok'ras disembodied voice.

"Right" Jack, said as he took a step back glancing at Daniel.

Ever the diplomat, he stepped forward. "It's always a pleasure to have a Tok'Ra on the base." Selmak nodded slightly.

"Alright I'm back," Jacob said in a jovial tone. "Now where's my little girl?" General Hammond exchanged a glance with Colonel O'Neill.

"George?" Jacob quizzed. "She's running a little late, we're expecting her any…" He broke off at the appearance of a figure at the door.

"Dad" Sam stepped forward and enveloped her father lightly. She smiled wanly and turned to General Hammond.

"I'm sorry I'm late Sir. Car trouble. I would have called but my cell phone went dead." She held up her mobile powered off. Hammond looked at her then Jack. He nodded, "That's fine Sam. How about we all meet in about an hour and get the latest from the Tok'ra."

Sam smiled brightly and said, "Sounds good to me! Dad?" She led Jacob out of the Gate room.

Hammond stood next to the remaining members of SG-1 in silence. Teal'c was the first to speak.

"General Hammond, I believe Major Carter is not herself."

Jack turned to the large alien. "Ya think?"

Jacob watched as his daughter flitted around her lab straightening the neat piles of files and papers, wringing her hands as she tried to avoid his piercing gaze. "Sam?" He asked keeping his voice even as possible.

"Hmm," Sam continued to busy herself, her back turned.

"Aren't you going to even ask?"

"About what?"

Jacob let out a small sigh, "Martouf."

The word hung in the ear as Sam's posture stiffened slightly. She turned and looked at her father.

Jacob felt his heart tighten as he saw the pain flicker in her big blue eyes. "There's nothing to ask, Martouf and Rosha are back together and…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where did you hear that?" Jacob crossed the room and took Sam's hand in his.

"Come on Dad, you saw them, you saw the looks between them, I could have fallen off the planet and Martouf wouldn't have noticed. It's fine, they're reunited, I'm happy."

"Really?"

"Why not? Is there any point losing sleep over them?"

"Don't you mean any more sleep?" Jacob said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's obvious."

"Daddy…" Sam whispered as tears filled her eyes.

"Oh Sammie, you don't have to be brave with me." Jacob let go of Sam's hand and enveloped her in a hug. He felt the cool tears wet his neck as his only daughter wept, her once strong body fragile and weak in his arms. Weakened by sheer exhaustion and heartbreak. He moved his head so his lips were in line with her ear.

"They aren't together" He whispered softly.

Martouf stood in the blue glistening corridor watching as the crystals formed enlarging their site to accommodate the new wave of Tok'ra recently enlisted in the fight against the Goa'uld. He closed his eyes and winced as blue eyes and silky blonde hair haunted him as it had so many nights while he tossed and turned praying for sleep that wouldn't come.

'Stop it,' Martouf jumped slightly as the sound of lantash echoing in his head.

'I can't. I just keep thinking about her, about both of them, I don't know what to do.'

'I do, stop torturing yourself at least for my sake, you are driving me insane.'

Martouf had to smile at the impatient tone of his long-suffering companion. 'I apologize that I don't have your superior intellect and ability to compartmentalize my emotions like you.'

'I'm sorry too. That's why I will say only one thing on this matter of love and psychological torture.'

'Aren't you being a little over-dramatic'?

'Aren't you the one who keeps tossing and turning keeping us awake and will you let me finish?'

'My apologies old friend, please continue.'

'As I was saying, there is only one thing we can do in this situation, follow our hearts.'

'Do you even have one?' Martouf asked in jest.

'Do you want a brain hemorrhage?'

'Okay, okay. But how do we make a decision. I thought Sam was my future, our future and now Rosha is back and it just seems so easy to go back to a time when things were easy and familiar.'

'There is just one difference, Rosha is back, Jolinar isn't. I can only speak for myself but it was the loss of Jolinar that made me feel like I couldn't go on. Rosha was a great love but it was Jolinar that I was bonded to. And may I remind you that the presence of Jolinar can also be felt deep in the eyes of Samantha. She holds the key to happiness now not Rosha.'

'It sounds like your mind is already made up.'

'Isn't yours old friend?' Lantash implored.

'That I don't know.'

"What don't you know."?

Martouf turned startled at the soft voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I had spoken aloud."

Rosha smiled. "It's alright, you always did remember?" Her tone full of hope.

Martouf smiled slightly. "The past is filled with memories."

"Is that all I am? The past to you?"

Martouf stepped back turning, staring into space. "Please Rosha."

"Martouf, No!" He felt her slender arms wrap themselves around his waist like they had done so many times. He turned and looked deep into her eyes.

"I thought I would never see you again." Rosha said, her voice tearful.

"I didn't either."

"I thought you love me."

"I did."

"And now, you just forget that easily?"

"I thought you were dead, I…"

"Moved on? Hmm, That's nice; I've spent the countless days, weeks, and months thinking about you, hoping to get away from the prison camp. Jolinar abandoned me, I didn't think you would too."

"Jolinar thought you were dying, she would never leave you if she thought she could cure you."

"She didn't even try."

"That's not true." Martouf disentangled himself from her grasp.

"Fine, but she didn't try hard enough."

"The Goa'uld were attacking. Her only thoughts were the Tok'ra and their survival, you know this." Martouf felt anger seep into his veins. "You are being unreasonable."

"Years of hell will do that to you."

The statement made Martouf wilt. He looked into Rosha's eyes, blue splendour so like another's and he felt the anger drain away.

"I'm sorry, I have been unfair. It was just so unexpected, I felt elated and at the same time my world crashed down around me."

"I know," Rosha said quietly. "I felt the same when I saw how you looked at the human. Sam?"

"Yes."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes," Martouf heard his voice break slightly. Rosha winced visibly at the emotion.

She nodded her head in silence and turned.

"Rosha," Martouf followed reaching for her hand. She turned to look at him tears in her eyes. Silently she came to him in a kiss.

Sam leaned back and stared at her father. "What do you mean?" She wiped the tears from her eyes, "What?" she asked again.

Jacob smiled. "They didn't get back together, at least not as far as I know."

"What do you know?" Sam said, her tone cautious, yet filled with promise.

"You left so quickly, Martouf spent a week looking like he had been knocked sideways. Rosha expected things to be the same but Martouf just couldn't get his head round it. He came to me days after you left, asking where you had gone. He didn't know what to do, think, he was just in shock."

"And Rosha?"

"The same, so much had changed. We found out that she had been held captive on a Goa'uld planet under Anubis's control. She managed to escape when a Tok'ra operative posing as a jaffa reconised her. She had been tortured horrifically. But we're helping her get back to normal."

"But they aren't back together?"

"Not unless it happened in the last hour!"

Sam smiled for what seemed like the first time in an eternity. "Feel like taking a trip?"

The Chevrons were already engaging when Colonel O'Neill walked into the embarkation room. "Hey, what's going on in here?"

"We're going to visit the Tok'ra," Jacob said.

"But…you just got here." Jack said confused.

Jacob glanced at him sideways "Yes but we have things to do." He nodded towards Sam.

Jack saw that the tension and misery that had been evident in his major so little time ago had diminished and was replaced by an almost playful hope and happiness.

"Ah…Say no more. Well have a good 'trip'. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Sam turned and smiled.

"Yes Sir."

The wormhole engaged and Sam and Jacob slowly walked up the ramp. Sam hesitated before stepping through the liquid to her destiny.

Martouf opened his eyes. Rosha held a finger up to his lips.

"No, don't say anything…"

Sam and Jacob stepped through the event horizon and were greeted by several Tok'ra.

Jacob stopped one of them and asked, "Where is Martouf?"

"The west corridors Sir, over-seeing the construction of the new wing."

Jacob smiled at his daughter, "Go get him sweetheart."

Sam smiled as she took off in a jog towards the west wing of the compound.

Martouf laid his hands gently on Rosha's shoulders. He felt her shudder as he broke off the kiss and pushed her away. She opened her sad blue eyes and gazed into his.

"I guess forever has a shelf life after all."

"Rosha…"

"Don't, I know I'm not Jolinar anymore, Samantha or whoever else is in your life. I just thought…after everything we've been through you still felt the same."

"I'm sorry, but when I thought I lost you, my life seemed to end. Samantha gave me hope that I would feel again."

"And Lantash the same?"

"Yes."

Rosha nodded her head, wiping the solitary tear that slid down her smooth cheek.

"Okay. I love you too much to see you unhappy." She turned and walked away. As she reached the corner, she looked back.

"Good luck, my love."

"Thank you," Martouf whispered.

Sam turned the corner and stopped in shock.

"Rosha," she stuttered. "I was looking…"

"He's here. Don't walk away, don't make my mistakes."

Samantha opened her mouth to answer but Rosha was already gone. She smiled, took a deep breath and continued on.

"Hey."

Martouf looked up in surprise at the sound of a sweet familiar voice. He smiled and stepped towards Sam.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again."

"Martouf," Sam said as she took his hand in hers and squeezed.

"No, let me," Martouf said. "I love you, my feelings for Rosha are nothing compared to how I feel when I see you, touch you, talk to you. I don't know how we can make this work, but I'm willing to do anything as long as I can be with you. All I need to know is that you feel the same. Do you?"

Samantha leaned forward, meeting his lips with hers in a soft kiss that deepened intensely.

"I love you too. I want us to be together, I don't ever want to feel the way I did these past few weeks."

"Glad to hear it." Martouf smiled and took her in his arms.

"So what happens now?"

"Whatever we want…"

"Glad to hear it."

End

(Soppy I know, but the death threats after how I ended taking chances have made me gone soft. Next one will have me back to my sadistic self!)


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